ELMIRA, NY -- Elmira College women's soccer welcomes Houghton College to Campus Field for an Empire 8 Conference contest on Saturday, October 15th. The match is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: Elmira lost two matches over the weekend of October 8th and 9th. In the first game of the weekend, the Purple and Gold fell to Nazareth College, 4-0. EC's defense came out strong and held the Golden Flyers scoreless for the first half. However, in the second half, Naz's offense exploded for four goals. The Soaring Eagles were unable to get their offense going; EC finished with eight shots, only three of which were on goal. Amanda Banner '17 finished with eight saves, her fourth-highest single-game total on the season. In the second game, EC lost 2-0 to St. John Fisher College. The Purple and Gold did have some chances to get on the board. Elmira's leading scorer, Sara Kazerouni '18, ripped a shot from inside the box that would have tied the competition in the 42nd minute, but it was ultimately saved by the Cardinals' goalie, Gabriella Cotugno. 
 
RESTART THE OFFENSE: The Purple and Gold will look to jumpstart their offense after going scoreless in their two games over the weekend. Before Saturday's tilt, the Purple and Gold had scored at least one goal in six straight contests. EC will look to its leading offensive players, Jordyn Rousselle '18 and Kazerouni, to get the offense going again. In Elmira's lone win this season, Kazerouni scored two of her team-leading five goals. She enter's Saturday's outing with a team-high 11 points and five goals. Rousselle is second in both categories with seven points and three tallies. Last season, in games that Rousselle scored, Elmira finished a perfect 4-0.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS: Houghton is amidst a rollercoaster season. The Highlanders started the year by going undefeated in their first four matches, but have lost their last four. After all of the turbulence to start the season, the Highlanders' record sits at 5-5-2. Houghton's downturn coincided with the start of the Empire 8 Conference schedule, as E8 foes have handed the Highlanders three of their five losses. The Houghton offense is led by junior defensive midfielder, Nikki Garns, who has 15 points on the season with six goals and three assists. On the defensive side of the pitch, freshman goalie Rachael Fortney leads the Highlanders. Fortney's 53 saves ranks fourth in the Empire 8 and her 1.34 goals against average rank fifth.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Purple and Gold are 2-14-2 in the previous 18 meetings between the two programs. In last October's matchup, the Soaring Eagles fell 2-0 at Houghton's Burke Field, behind two first-half Highlander goals. The Soaring Eagles faced the Highlanders annually from 1985-98. The programs took a 12-year hiatus from competition until 2010, but have met each year since 2012.
 
UP NEXT: The Soaring Eagles will travel up Route 13 to face Empire 8 Conference rival, Ithaca College, on Tuesday, October 18th, at the Bombers' Carp Wood Field. The match is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m.